NEWS FROM NASFAA

As more borrowers are enrolling in income-driven repayment (IDR) plans and policymakers are deciding how best to institute time-based loan forgiveness programs, a new report suggests that this method of repayment may actually worsen students’ financial situations.

How Are IRA, pension, and annuity rollovers reported on the FAFSA? How should foreign income tax returns be treated for verification? Do schools have to correct errors in prior year data? Take a look back at last month's most read Q&As. If you have a question that's not on the list, you can find a credible and reliable answer on the AskRegs Knowledgebase site by browsing or searching the answers provided by our Training and Regulatory Assistance staff. You may also submit your own question using the Request Support feature.

If you've got an open position in your office and you're not sure what to ask to find the right candidate to fill it, head to NASFAA's member-generated content library for some inspiration. NASFAA members submitted samples of the questions they ask interviewees for financial aid office positions in their own offices. Check out their questions to see how theirs compare and get ideas for new questions to add to your own list.

Victoria Kindon of Longwood University comes to the Forward50 table to represent IT with a unique set of experiences from working on presidential campaigns in data analysis and integration before entering the field of higher education, where she "was inspired by the impact higher education has on communities and democratic ideals." Fred Lokken, representing online learning, has been focused on regulations concerning distance learning since the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 2008, and joined the Forward50 "to provide national leadership and to identify clear pathways for success in both identifying and solving problems." Learn more about them, and the other members of the committee at http://forward-50.org/members.

HEADLINES

National News

"Today [March 5] was supposed to be a last-ditch deadline for Congress to act if it wanted to keep the protections provided by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in place. Two nationwide court injunctions blocking the Trump administration from ending DACA are temporarily keeping much of the program alive, but with no legislative solution in sight, uncertainty about the long-term prospects for the hundreds of thousands of young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers who have benefited from the program continues," Inside Higher Ed reports.

"The friction around the best path forward after high school is popping up around the country as anxious students and families try to figure out how to pay for four years of college. At the same time, business groups and state governments make the case for a free or much cheaper vocational education," The Wall Street Journal reports.

"College graduates are entering the workforce with student loan debt averaging about $35,000. Some are finding a new partner in paying those huge monthly bills: their employer," according to Employee Benefit News.

State News

"Six former employees of a Chicago postsecondary school have been charged with defrauding the federal government out of millions of dollars in student financial aid funds," according to the Chicago Sun Times. "From 2005 to 2013, they allegedly applied for federal grants and loans for students who were not eligible to receive the funds."

"College students will have more protection from predatory loan practices under legislation passed Friday by the House. Advocates say the 'Student Loan Bill of Rights' will extend existing consumer loan protections to students, where currently no such regulation exists," The Spokesman-Review reports.

Blogs & Think Tanks

"It’s hard, if not impossible, to succeed in college if you’re hungry. Seems like such an easy concept that it’s not worth mentioning. But behind that simple concept are some staggering statistics. According to the Wisconsin HOPE Lab, more than 50 percent of community college students nationwide do not have access to healthy and affordable foods," Daphne Hernandez writes for The Conversation.

MEMBER NEWS

Boston University is seeking information from lenders offering student and parent educational loans for the 2018-2019 academic year through a Request for Information (RFI) process. This request covers loan products for students on all campuses, and in all programs and levels of study.